Senate ties judiciary budget to reforms

Thursday

The Republican-led Senate passed a budget for the judicial branch Thursday, but with strings attached that had Democrats crying foul.

Senate Vice President Jeff King, R-Independence, said the omnibus bill, a combination of five judicial measures, is a "legislative compromise" in which "nobody gets all of what they want."

King said an organization representing the state's district court judges opposes some of its contents, but is willing to swallow them in order to get a budget for the next 16 months that will prevent furloughs.

"If we pass this bill, Mr. Chairman, the courts of Kansas will be allowed to remain open for business," King said.

The bill passed 23-12 on the eve of the Kansas Supreme Court's much-anticipated school funding decision. King said passing the budget before the decision sent a strong message that the Senate decides the judiciary budget based on what funding the courts need, not on any court decisions.

Senate Substitute for House Bill 2338, in addition to funding the courts, also would increase docket fees on some large litigation, allow some judicial positions to remain open for 120 days in order to save money, allow the chief judges of the state's 31 judicial districts to wrest control of their individual budgets from the Kansas Supreme Court, and allow judicial districts to elect their own chiefs rather than the current process of Supreme Court appointments.

Democrats questioned bundling the budget with the two bills to decentralize the powers of the Supreme Court.

Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, called them "policy decisions" that the chamber should have the opportunity to vote on.

"It’s not just about dollars and cents to our courts," Haley said. "This is about more."

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said the bill was meant to force those who have for years favored increasing the judicial budget into a position to vote "no" because of its add-ons.

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